The Hottest Stories on the Internet Today (Monday September 25)

Merkel’s CDU party and its sister CSU are predicted to be the largest in the German parliament, the Bundestag, with 33.5% of the seats. The CDU’s coalition partner, the SPD, fell to 21%, a result met with shock at the party’s headquarters.

Still, plenty opted to kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner,” with the Baltimore Ravens’ Terrell Suggs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans among the stars following the lead of former pro quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who pioneered the anthem protests last year. Ahead of the morning game in London and 1 p.m.

The ongoing war of words between the United States and North Korea saw several new fiery salvos Saturday, a day on which the US military, in a show of force, flew bombers in international airspace over waters east of North Korea.

Without power and communications in much of the island, millions of people, including city leaders and first responders, have been cut off from the world since Maria hit Wednesday. Authorities flew over the island Saturday, and were stunned by what they saw. No cellphones, water or power.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake Saturday morning was centered in Oaxaca state near Matias Romero, a town about 275 miles southeast of Mexico City, the US Geological Survey said. Roughly speaking, the epicenter was between the centers of this month’s two more violent earthquakes — the 7.1 magnitude temblor that hit Tuesday closer to the capital, and the 8.1 magnitude quake that struck September 8 off the southern Pacific coast, near Chiapas state.

Two sources close to the “overjoyed” family tell CNN that Kylie Jenner, 20, is pregnant and due in February. The makeup mogul and reality star has been in a relationship with rapper Travis Scott since April. Jenner has had some practice with kids.

All eyes are on the NFL today ― but not just for what happens after the kickoffs. After President Donald Trump in a Friday speech and then in a series of follow-up posts of Twitter criticized NFL athletes who have been protesting racism by kneeling during the national anthem, many other players are expected to demonstrate before today’s games.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says that he and a fellow conservative senator are inclined to oppose a new bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, making it even less likely that Senate Republican leaders will find the votes to get the proposal through the chamber.

Hillary Clinton told MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid that she believes German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the most important leader in the free world ― an extraordinary assessment by a former presidential candidate, U.S. secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, and a remark likely to be seen as an affront to President Donald Trump.

It’s probably a good thing service animals are trained to prepare for every situation, because one woman put one dog to the test. RJ Wisowaty, the owner of Kathy’s Crab House & Family Restaurant in Delaware, posted a Youtube video of a customer going on an unhinged rant targeting a veteran and his service dog.

It seems as if LeBron James has finally had enough of President Donald Trump. Hours after the Cleveland Cavaliers star slammed the president on Twitter for rescinding his White House invitation to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, James spoke out against Trump again ― this time with a powerful message.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union has come out on top in Germany’s national election on Sunday, according to early exit polls, putting her on the path for a fourth term in power. Early projections show Merkel’s center-right CDU won an estimated 32 percent of the vote, followed by the center-left Social Democratic Party, or SPD, that trailed behind with about 20 percent of the vote.

US President Donald Trump has urged a boycott of the National Football League (NFL) to force teams to punish players who protest during the national anthem. In a growing row with the sports world, Mr Trump repeated that such players should be fired or suspended. The remarks have been condemned as “offensive” and “divisive”.

Twenty years after Tasmania became the last remaining Australian state to decriminalise male homosexuality, the country is having its say on same-sex marriage. Voting is under way in a non-binding, voluntary postal survey to measure support for reform. It has been, at times, an ugly and bruising process.

A young woman who was diagnosed with cancer was dismayed by the lack of greeting cards that expressed how she truly felt – but now she’s on a mission to help others find the right words in times of crisis. Emily McDowell was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2001, when she was only 24.

With three players on six goals from six games, the race for the Premier League’s golden boot looks set to be hotly contested. Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, Chelsea new boy Alvaro Morata and Manchester United’s summer signing Romelu Lukaku all top the scoring charts after impressive starts to the campaign.